Having played in hundreds of online no-limit hold’em tournaments over the last couple of years, I have experienced both extremely fast tables, where the players seem to be pushing their stacks in on every hand, and extremely slow, passive tables, where there are seldom any raises before the flop. It seems clear that there must be at least some adjustments or “gear shifting” required to play the optimum strategy for each of these two extremes.
To start with, there is definitely some truth to the old poker adage that states: “Play tight in a loose game, and loose in a tight game.” If everyone is playing close-to-the-vest tight, you can afford to play some mediocre hands and can often pick up “unwanted” pots with merely a small bet. But when the stacks are flying, you are often well-advised to sit back and wait for a good hand, which will usually be paid off well.
In a slow game, any good player rates to have a big edge, especially if he is the only player who frequently raises before the flop or does most of the Bola88 betting. But in some slow games, it is even better to let one or two of the other players be the “designated bettor.” For example, if you are playing in a game in which most players are just plodding along and calling, and then along comes some hotshot who starts raising frequently, you can almost feel that everyone else at the table hates this guy and would like to “get him.” So, they will strain to call him down and perhaps pick off some of his frequent bluffs — which often creates lucrative opportunities for you. And it is often sound to speculate (with lesser starting hands) by getting …